The Shorts

Plot: Mickey finds himself unbearably uncomfortable due to the matching sweater he wears during his date night with Minnie.

Short Stuff:

This is ostensibly Season Three’s “Valentine’s Day” episode with Season One giving us Third Wheel while Season Two skipped the holiday altogether.

Who hasn’t stood completely nude in front of an open window, staring at their girlfriend?

These extreme closeups of Mickey’s discomfort are evocative of the gross out gags from the revolutionary cartoon Ren Stimpy. (1991 – 1996).

Mickey and Minnie both ordered the same meal which I can best describe as “Vegas Buffet.”

The oceanside pier Mickey and Minnie go to on their date reminds me of California Adventure’s Paradise Pier. Although, the differences are more prevalent than the similarities.

One of the similarities, though, is the Sun Wheel-esque Ferris Wheel.

If those dancing teenagers look familiar, it’s because they’re the stars of All the Cats Join In – a segment about hip 40s teens doing stuff from Disney’s anthology film Make Mine Music (1946).

Mickey’s nightmarish sequence while aboard the Ferris Wheel is evocative of the Pink Elephant’s on Parade sequence from Dumbo (1941).

That elderly dog (?) couple that approach Mickey and Minnie appear to be an older mirror image of themselves – with Minnie’s flower pot hat included!

I love the starry night sky that illuminates the pier and the way the pastels of the boardwalk contrast with it – great atmosphere.

Final Grade:BThere’s something here with the 1940s setting but it doesn’t all-the-way commit. And, while I am a huge fan of Ren and Stimpy (this series of shorts have stylistically paid tribute to them in the past), I just don’t feel the sweater gross out stuff works here. It’s just too itchy.